The purpose of this study was to take a fresh look at the nature of organic production, consumption and marketing in England and Wales in order to better assess its current and likely contribution to rural development and its ability to meet consumer expectations. Based on a mixed methodological...

Bovine TB (bTB) presents a significant challenge to beef and dairy farmers. In 2009 7,449 herds were subject to movement restrictions in Great Britain because of bTB. Of these, 52% were in South West England and 20% were in Devon alone. With over 25% of holdings with cattle in the South West...

This research report seeks to explore the hypothesis that organic farming provides an additional benefit to the rural economy over and above that of conventional agriculture, defined for the purposes of this project as "non-organic". The approach adopted involved tracing the socio-economic...

The designation of Exmoor National Park in 1954 recognised the importance of the open character of much of the area and, in particular, its moorland to that natural heritage of the UK. However, the moorland that the park was charged with maintaining and enhancing was soon under threat and the...

Agricultural restructuring is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, recent decades have seen substantial changes, not only to the number and types of farmers and farm businesses, but also to ownership structures and to the relationship between land holding and management control. The Department of Food,...

The report presents a repeat of a 1989-90 postal survey to explore the land tenurial changes in England and Wales that have resulted from legislative and structural change. Clearly, since 1990, the introduction of Farm Business Tenancies means that the two sets of results, while not directly...

This study was commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Defra (Defra) for the purpose of providing information to assist in compilation of a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the possible introduction of an EU-wide Council Directive relating to the welfare of...

The overall aim of this research is to provide the UK Government with an evidence base from which it may be established whether there is a rationale for continuing Government intervention to encourage farm diversification, in particular through making capital grant funding available to farm...

In England, over the last decade the rising incidence of bovine TB has resulted in recognised economic impacts on the agricultural and ancillary industries. Nowhere has the dramatic increase in bovine TB been more evident than in Southwest England, a region which is characterised by smaller,...